Trump Revives Voting Bill

President Donald Trump used a July 16 prime-time address to promote the stalled SAVE America Act, a voting measure built on the principle that civic participation improves when citizens bring the correct paperwork. The House-passed legislation would require documentary proof of citizenship for voter registration, photo identification at the polls and expanded sharing of voter-roll information with the Department of Homeland Security. Supporters call the requirements safeguards. Critics call them barriers. In Washington, the distinction often depends on whether the person waiting at the government office remembered a birth certificate.

“Congress must pass the SAVE America Act,” Trump said. “The only reason you wouldn’t do it is you want to cheat, because your policies are so bad and your candidates are so pathetic that you can’t get elected any other way.” The president also pointed to newly declassified material concerning potential election vulnerabilities, though his presentation offered no evidence that votes were changed in the 2020 election. For his allies, the lack of a documented alteration did little to weaken the case; an undetected scheme, after all, enjoys the administrative advantage of resembling an event that did not occur.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune has said Republicans do not have the votes required to overcome a Democratic filibuster. The bill therefore commands broad support among many of the lawmakers already inclined to support it, while remaining short of the lawmakers needed to enact it. Senator Mike Lee has urged the Senate to concentrate on the measure until it advances, temporarily placing housing costs, health care and infrastructure in the legislative category known as matters that can apparently wait.

The proposal would add federal documentation standards to a voting system largely administered by states, giving citizens further opportunities to demonstrate that they are the same people government databases already say they are. Voters with passports, readily available records and flexible work schedules would be best positioned to comply. Those without them could face additional visits to public agencies, where democracy would be available during posted business hours. The bill remains stalled in the Senate.

* None of the quotes in this article were spoken by an actual person. More info.